Hand-powered polishing apparatus and kit with diamond abrasive and method

ABSTRACT

A manual method and apparatus for removing scratches from automotive paint finishes by using a diamond abrasive compound applied to a handheld polishing disk/pad which effectively “scrubs” away the scratches. First, a first soft polishing pad is attached to a handgrip; second, an amount of a first diamond abrasive polishing paste is applied to the first soft polishing pad; next one manually polishes the metal trim or paint finish in situ without removing the metal trim from the vehicle by rubbing the metal trim or paint finish with the first soft polishing pad bearing the first diamond abrasive polishing paste. Thereafter, one removes the first soft pad from the hand grip and replaces it with a second soft polishing pad and applies an amount of a second diamond abrasive paste to the second soft polishing pad, the second diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the first diamond abrasive paste. One then manually polishes the metal trim or paint finish in situ by rubbing the metal trim or paint finish with the second soft polishing pad bearing the second diamond abrasive polishing paste. A third, yet finer, diamond abrasive compound can be used in conjunction with a third soft polishing pad. The apparatus comprises a soft hand grip, a plurality of soft polishing pads for attachment to the hand grip and for polishing with abrasive paste, and a plurality of containers of diamond abrasive paste of varying grits to be applied to the soft polishing pads.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to abrasives and in particular relates to a hand-powered apparatus/kit for polishing automotive finishes and metal.

BACKGROUND

Automotive finishes frequently suffer from being scratched or simply dulled over time. In the past, polishes have been applied by hand, such as traditional “rubbing compound”, widely available from a variety of sources. Such polishes often employ super-fine microscopic abrasive powder or ultra-fine abrasive minerals as a working abrasive. While such polishes are inexpensive to make and sell, the amount of manual effort required to address heavy scratches or dulled paint can be considerable.

As an alternative to polishing by hand, a machine can be used to polish automotive paint finishes with the same or similar polishes. Generally, a high-speed buffing machine is provided with a soft polishing pad (e.g., a soft foam or wool pad). A polish (abrasive compound) is applied to the pad and the machine is operated over the paint to polish the scratch and/or dullness, and to bring out the gloss in the paint finish. Unfortunately, such machines can be expensive, heavy, and difficult to use. Indeed, such machines can require considerable skill to avoid “burning” or excessively abrading the paint (which can happen in an instant). Laypersons (non-experts) or consumers often shy away from using high-speed buffing machines for these reasons.

Typical known automotive polishing compositions and methods for removing scratches and other imperfections from vehicle paints normally include super-fine microscopic abrasive powder or ultra-fine abrasive minerals. The polishing compositions are applied using buffing pads made from a variety of materials, including open-cell polyurethane, fleece wool, cotton, or synthetic materials. As mentioned above, the compositions are applied by hand or using a hand-held rotary, orbital, or oscillating buffing machine. The problem is that these fine abrasive materials if used with a machine can damage the paint if care is not employed when used with a machine and if used by hand are not aggressive enough to enable a user to effect the remediation without an undue amount of effort. Thus, the compounds are at once both too aggressive and not aggressive enough, depending on whether they are used by machine or by hand.

Moreover, the currently-available microscopic abrasive dusts, including aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and zirconium oxide, all have relatively low heat conductivity, causing the burning effect on paint when too much friction is created and the resultant heat cannot be transferred effectively or quickly enough.

Additionally, vehicles often are provided with a fair amount of “bright work” other than chrome, such as polished stainless steel, brass or aluminum, which can dull or become scratched over time. The typical remediation method for freshening up such bright work is to remove the item from the vehicle, to polish it on a stationary buffing machine, and then to reinstall it on the vehicle. Such suffers from requiring that the item be removed and reinstalled. Also, many laypersons do not have access to a stationary buffing machine and/or are not adept at using them.

Accordingly, a need exists for a method and apparatus to remediate automotive paint finishes and bright work metal, the method and apparatus being suitable for use by non-experts. It is to the provision of such that the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY

Briefly described, the present invention comprises a hand-powered polishing kit/apparatus and related method for polishing automotive paint finishes and trim. In general, a highly effective (fairly aggressive) abrasive is used in hand polishing to give rapid results similar to a polishing machine, but with the control, cost, and simplicity of hand polishing. Advantageously, the abrasive is a polishing paste made with diamond. The natural hardness of diamond makes it more abrasive than other minerals and has been found to be particularly suitable for use in hand polishing of automotive paint finishes and metal trim.

Compared to the fine dust in polishing compounds available today for remediating automotive paint finishes and metal bright work, diamond has one of the highest thermal conductivities at 900-2320 W/(m·K). This is contrasted with thermal conductivity of only 120-180 W(m·K) for aluminum oxide for example, thus transferring heat created due to the friction between the car body and the polishing disk/pad effectively to avoiding any paint burn effects. An additional advantage is the durability of the diamond cutting edges, which stay sharp for a very long time due to their superior mineral hardness. Moreover, the exceptional effectiveness of the diamond abrasive allows the user to treat deep scratches quickly and effectively, even scratches as deep as extending to the primer (or nearly so).

In a first example embodiment of the present invention, a manual scratch repair kit for manually repairing scratches in automotive paint finishes comprises a handgrip having an underside with hook and loop fasteners. The handgrip is sized to fit in the palm of the hand and preferably is relatively soft and pliable for comfort. Two or more soft pads are provided for holding and applying an abrasive paste, each of the soft pads having an upper side with hook and loop fasteners to allow the soft pads to be releasably mounted to the handgrip. Two or more containers of diamond abrasive compound of different grits are provided for use with the soft pads. Moreover, preferably the soft pads are color-keyed to the diamond abrasive compounds and/or the containers. However, other forms of the optional identification can be employed as desired, such as printing a large “1” on the first pad and a corresponding “1” on the container of diamond abrasive compound. Optionally, the abrasive compounds are different colors and at least part of the soft pads are different colors and color-keyed to the different color compounds.

Optionally, the three or more soft pads and three or more containers of diamond abrasive are provided, with the abrasives being of differing grits. Optionally, the handgrip is at least partly dome-shaped. Preferably the soft pads are round, disk-like elements. Optionally, the soft pads comprise wool fiber pads or open cell foam pads.

In another preferred form, the present invention comprises a manual scratch repair method for manually repairing scratches in automotive paint finishes, the manual scratch repair method comprising the steps of: (a) attaching a first soft polishing pad to a handgrip; (b) applying an amount of a first diamond abrasive polishing paste to the first soft polishing pad; (c) manually polishing the paint finish by rubbing the paint finish with the first soft polishing pad bearing the first diamond abrasive polishing paste; (d) removing the first soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a second soft polishing pad; (e) applying an amount of a second diamond abrasive paste to the second soft polishing pad, the second diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the first diamond abrasive paste; and (f) manually polishing the paint finish by rubbing the paint finish with the second soft polishing pad bearing the second diamond abrasive polishing paste. Optionally, a single polishing step could replace the multiple steps using different grits.

The manual scratch repair method just described above can optionally include the steps of: (g) removing the second soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a third soft polishing pad; (h) applying an amount of a third diamond abrasive paste to the third soft polishing pad, the third diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the second diamond abrasive paste; and (i) manually polishing the paint finish by rubbing the paint finish with the third soft polishing pad bearing the third diamond abrasive polishing paste.

In another preferred form, the present invention comprises a manual polishing method for manually polishing automotive metal trim in situ on a vehicle. Preferably, the method comprising the steps of: (1) attaching a first soft polishing pad to a handgrip; (2) applying an amount of a first diamond abrasive polishing paste to the first soft polishing pad; (3) manually polishing the metal trim in situ without removing the metal trim from the vehicle by rubbing the metal trim with the first soft polishing pad bearing the first diamond abrasive polishing paste; (4) removing the first soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a second soft polishing pad; (5) applying an amount of a second diamond abrasive paste to the second soft polishing pad, the second diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the first diamond abrasive paste; and (6) manually polishing the metal trim in situ by rubbing the metal trim with the second soft polishing pad bearing the second diamond abrasive polishing paste.

Optionally, the in situ manual polishing method just described above can further comprise the steps of: (7) removing the second soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a third soft polishing pad; (8) applying an amount of a third diamond abrasive paste to the third soft polishing pad, the third diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the second diamond abrasive paste; and (9) manually polishing the metal trim in situ by rubbing the paint finish with the third soft polishing pad bearing the third diamond abrasive polishing paste.

The back pad preferably should have relatively soft surface, thus absorbing the diamond particles and holding them close to the surface to be polished. The surface should be soft, so that the diamond particles can penetrate into the pad when the pad is applied to the car body. Such material softness can help to avoid unwanted scratching of the car surface with the diamonds in the diamond compound.

The specific techniques and structures employed to improve over the drawbacks of the prior devices and accomplish the advantages described herein will become more apparent from the following detailed description of example embodiments and the appended drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a manual scratch repair kit according to a first example embodiment of the present invention, showing a handgrip, a set of soft pads, and a set of containers of diamond abrasive compound.

FIG. 2 is a side cross section view of a first soft pad of the set of soft pads of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the handgrip and set of soft pads of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example embodiment of the method of use of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Generally described, the present invention relates to a manual scratch repair/polishing kit or apparatus. FIG. 1 shows a manual scratch repair kit 10 according to a first example embodiment of the present invention. The repair kit 10 includes a hand grip 12, a set of soft pads 20, and a set of containers 30 of diamond abrasive compound or paste.

FIGS. 1 and 3 show the handgrip 12 in association with the set of soft pads 20. The handgrip 12 preferably is sized to fit in the palm of a user's hand and preferably is relatively soft and pliable for handling with comfort and ease. The handgrip 12 generally has a round and bulbous shape and preferably is partly dome-shaped. The middle portion helps the user hold the top of the handgrip 12 in the palm of his/her hand and rest his/her fingers on the middle portion. In other embodiments, the handgrip 12 can have any other shape that is designed to be ergonomic for use with the user's hand.

The handgrip 12 has a bottom portion or underside 14 that preferably is flat and planar, having hook and loop fasteners 15 attached thereon. Other types of fasteners, such as magnets, adhesives, etc., can be utilized on the bottom portion 14 of the handgrip 12 as well. The handgrip 12 is pliable, both for comfort for the user and to allow the apparatus to conform somewhat to non-flat surfaces to be polished.

FIG. 1 shows the set of soft pads 20 in association with the handgrip 12. In this particular embodiment the set of soft pads 20 includes a first pad 22, a second pad 24, and a third pad 26. Each soft pad is a disk-like element that comprises a disk-shaped body 28 and a top portion or upper side 29. The body 28 of the soft pads can be made from wool fibers, open cell foam, or any other suitable material. The top portion 29 preferably comprises a layer of hook and loop fasteners to complement the hook and loop fasteners 15 on the bottom portion 14 of the handgrip 12. Other types of fasteners can be placed on the top portion 29 to complement the fasteners on the handgrip 12. In use, the upper sides of the soft pads 22, 24, and 26 can be releasably mounted to the underside 14 of the handgrip 12 by the hook and loop fasteners.

FIG. 1 shows the set of containers of diamond abrasive compound 30. The set includes a first container 32, a second container 34, and a third container 36. The containers are syringe-like dispensers, but in other embodiments, the containers can be tubs, tubes, jars, or other suitable types of containers. The containers each house a different diamond abrasive compound or paste therein. The first, second, and third containers 32, 34, and 36 each house a first, second, and third diamond abrasive compound 42, 44, and 46, respectively, therein. The diamond abrasive compounds can be dispensed in controlled, small amounts to the soft pads by compressing the ends of the syringes and applying the tips of the syringes to the soft pads.

The diamond abrasive compounds can have varying grit sizes. Generally, the diamond grit sizes are represented by two numbers separated by a forward slash. The two numbers represent a range of values for the size of the diamond. The first number is generally the maximum value of the grit size range in microns, while the second number is generally the minimum value of the grit size range in microns as well. For example, a grit size of 14/10 would mean that the maximum value of the size of a diamond particle would be 14 microns, while the minimum value of the size of a diamond particle would be 10 microns. The diamonds in the abrasive compounds preferably have grit sizes selected from the group of 14/10, 10/7, 7/5, 5/3, 3/2, 2/1, and 1/0 or similar. It should be noted that the grit size 1/0 does not constitute a diamond with a minimum size value of 0 microns, but rather an average particle size of less than 0.5 micron, which would be mathematically rounded down to 0 microns.

Preferably, three different abrasive grits are used. For example, in the example scratch repair kit 10, the first diamond abrasive compound 42 has a grit size of 7/5, the second diamond abrasive compound 44 has a grit size of 3/2, and the third diamond abrasive compound has a grit size of 1/0. In another preferred example scratch repair kit 10, the first diamond abrasive compound 42 has a grit size of 10/7, the second diamond abrasive compound 44 has a grit size of 5/3, and the third diamond abrasive compound has a grit size of 1/0. It is preferable that the grit sizes of the diamond compounds become finer as they are provided in succession. Fewer or greater number of different grit compounds can be employed. For example, two grits could be used or even a single grit compound could be provided. But it is preferred that a plurality of different compounds be utilized to provide a progressive polishing action and three different compounds is believed to provide the best balance of cost and effectiveness.

The soft pads preferably are color-keyed or color-coded to the containers of diamond abrasive compounds and/or the diamond abrasive compounds. Other forms of cross referencing identification, such as identifying characters, numerals, or letters, can be used as well. In the example embodiment of the scratch removal kit 10, the first soft pad 22, the first container 32, and the first diamond compound 42 are all color-keyed with the color red. The second soft pad 24, the second container 34, and the second diamond compound 44 are all color keyed with the color yellow. The third soft pad 26, the third container 36, and the third diamond compound 46 are all color keyed with the color silver. In other embodiments, any other colors or indicia can be used to color-key the soft pads to the containers and/or the diamond compounds. The color keying allows the user to follow a progressively finer polishing “script” to progressively polish the finish or metal without making mistakes. It also helps to avoid accidentally contaminating a fine grit pad with a coarse grit compound.

In use, the upper side 29 of the first soft pad 22 is releasably mounted to the bottom side 14 of the handgrip 12. A small amount of the first diamond abrasive compound 42 is then dispensed or applied to the first soft pad 22. The user would then manually polish a surface with the soft pad 22 and the first diamond abrasive 42 thereon, using the handgrip 12. After sufficiently polishing the surface, the first pad 22 can be removed from the handgrip 12 and be replaced by the second soft pad 24. A small amount of the second diamond abrasive compound 44 is then dispensed on the second soft pad 24 and the second soft pad 24 is used to manually polish the surface. After sufficient polishing, the second soft pad 24 is removed from the hand grip 12 and is replaced by the third soft pad 26, wherein a small amount of the third diamond abrasive compound 46 is dispensed thereon. The surface is manually polished by the third soft pad 26, and after sufficient polishing, the surface is polished and/or buffed.

Many different types of surfaces can be polished and/or buffed by the kit 10. Automotive or vehicle paint surfaces, for examples, can be polished and/or buffed to remove scratches or scuffs thereon, or to simply provide more luster and shine to the paint surface. Many automobiles and/or vehicles include stainless steel trim. If this stainless steel trim is to be polished, it is usually removed from the vehicle and polished using a stationary buffing machine. Some stainless steel pieces can be difficult and/or time consuming to remove and unwieldy to hold and polish on a stationary buffing machine. Additionally, curved surfaces or edges needing polishing and/or buffing can be difficult to polish with a rotary buffing machine, as sometimes the head of the buffing machine can be too large and clunky to use with such curved surfaces. The scratch repair kit 10 is advantageously able to polish these and other types of surfaces manually. The kit 10 additionally allows the user to polish and buff a surface while getting feedback from the surface as to the status of the polishing and/or buffing. The kit 10 also allows the user to work at his or her own pace, and not be forced to worry about using a high speed buffing machine, which can be challenging and difficult to new users, as well as potentially damaging to surfaces.

In and during use, the diamonds in the diamond abrasive compounds become embedded within the soft pads that they are dispensed upon. This is advantageous because when the soft pads absorb the diamonds in the compounds, the diamonds can be held close to the surface of the pads and adjacent the surface they are polishing. The soft pads are generally made from a soft material, allowing the diamonds to penetrate therein when the pads are applied upon a surface and avoiding gouging the surface to be polished.

As shown in FIG. 4, a method 100 according to the invention can comprise a manual polishing method for manually polishing automotive paint finishes or metal trim in situ on a vehicle. Preferably, as seen in FIG. 4 the method can comprise the steps of: (101) attaching a first soft polishing pad to a handgrip; (102) applying an amount of a first diamond abrasive polishing paste to the first soft polishing pad; (103) manually polishing the paint finish or metal trim in situ (such as by without removing the metal trim from the vehicle) by rubbing the metal trim or paint finish with the first soft polishing pad bearing the first diamond abrasive polishing paste; (104) removing the first soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a second soft polishing pad; (105) applying an amount of a second diamond abrasive paste to the second soft polishing pad, the second diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the first diamond abrasive paste; and (106) manually polishing the paint finish or metal trim in situ by rubbing the metal trim or paint finish with the second soft polishing pad bearing the second diamond abrasive polishing paste.

Optionally, the in situ manual polishing method just described above can further comprise the steps of: (107) removing the second soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a third soft polishing pad; (108) applying an amount of a third diamond abrasive paste to the third soft polishing pad, the third diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the second diamond abrasive paste; and (109) manually polishing the paint finish or metal trim in situ by rubbing the paint finish or metal trim with the third soft polishing pad bearing the third diamond abrasive polishing paste.

Alternative methods according to the invention can comprise a subset of those steps depicted in FIG. 4 and/or can comprise additional steps as desired by a user. For example, another example method according to the invention can comprise the steps of: (1) applying a first diamond abrasive paste to a first polishing pad; and (2) manually polishing automotive paint finishes or metal trim in situ (such as by without removing the metal trim from the vehicle) by rubbing the metal trim or paint finish with the first polishing pad bearing the first diamond abrasive paste. Optionally, this method can further comprise: (3) applying a second diamond abrasive paste to a second polishing pad, the second diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the first diamond abrasive paste; and (4) manually polishing the paint finish or metal trim in situ by rubbing the metal trim or paint finish with the second polishing pad bearing the second diamond abrasive paste.

It should be noted that in other embodiments of the present invention, the number of soft pads and containers with diamond abrasive compound therein can differ from the first example embodiment. In other embodiments, the amount of soft pads and containers with diamond abrasive compounds provided can be two, four, five, etc. Additionally, the method of using such soft pads and containers with diamond abrasive compounds can be changed accordingly in order to accommodate the amount of soft pads and containers.

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions, or parameters of the example embodiments described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only. Thus, the terminology is intended to be broadly construed and is not intended to be unnecessarily limiting of the claimed invention. For example, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, the term “or” means “and/or,” and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, any methods described herein are not intended to be limited to the sequence of steps described but can be carried out in other sequences, unless expressly stated otherwise herein.

While the claimed invention has been shown and described in example forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. 

1. A manual scratch repair kit for manually repairing scratches in automotive paint finishes, the manual scratch repair kit comprising: a handgrip having an underside with hook and loop fasteners; two or more soft pads for holding and applying abrasive, each of the soft pads having an upper side with hook and loop fasteners to allow the soft pads to be releasably mounted to the handgrip; two or more containers of diamond abrasive compound of different grits; and wherein the soft pads are color-keyed to the diamond abrasive compounds and/or the containers.
 2. A manual scratch repair kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the abrasive compounds are different colors and at least part of the soft pads are different colors and color-keyed to the different color abrasive compounds.
 3. A manual scratch repair kit as claimed in claim 2 wherein a portion of each of the soft pads is generally the same color as the abrasive compounds.
 4. A manual scratch repair kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the two or more soft pads and the two or more containers of diamond abrasive comprise three soft pads and three containers of diamond abrasive.
 5. A manual scratch repair kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the handgrip is pliable.
 6. A manual scratch repair kit as claimed in claim 5 wherein the handgrip is at least partly dome-shaped.
 7. A manual scratch repair kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the soft pads are round, disk-like elements.
 8. A manual scratch repair kit as claimed in claim 7 wherein the soft pads comprise wool fiber pads.
 9. A manual scratch repair kit as claimed in claim 7 wherein the soft pads comprise open cell foam.
 10. A manual scratch repair kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the containers comprise syringe-like dispensers for dispensing controlled, small amounts of the diamond abrasive compound.
 11. A manual scratch repair method for manually repairing scratches in automotive paint finishes, the manual scratch repair method comprising the steps of: attaching a first soft polishing pad to a handgrip; applying an amount of a first diamond abrasive polishing paste to the first soft polishing pad; manually polishing the paint finish by rubbing the paint finish with the first soft polishing pad bearing the first diamond abrasive polishing paste; removing the first soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a second soft polishing pad; applying an amount of a second diamond abrasive paste to the second soft polishing pad, the second diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the first diamond abrasive paste; and manually polishing the paint finish by rubbing the paint finish with the second soft polishing pad bearing the second diamond abrasive polishing paste.
 12. The manual scratch repair method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of: removing the second soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a third soft polishing pad; applying an amount of a third diamond abrasive paste to the third soft polishing pad, the third diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the second diamond abrasive paste; and manually polishing the paint finish by rubbing the paint finish with the third soft polishing pad bearing the third diamond abrasive polishing paste.
 13. A manual polishing method for manually polishing automotive metal trim in situ on a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: attaching a first soft polishing pad to a handgrip; applying an amount of a first diamond abrasive polishing paste to the first soft polishing pad; manually polishing the metal trim in situ without removing the metal trim from the vehicle by rubbing the metal trim with the first soft polishing pad bearing the first diamond abrasive polishing paste; removing the first soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a second soft polishing pad; applying an amount of a second diamond abrasive paste to the second soft polishing pad, the second diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the first diamond abrasive paste; and manually polishing the metal trim in situ by rubbing the metal trim with the second soft polishing pad bearing the second diamond abrasive polishing paste.
 14. The manual polishing method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of: removing the second soft pad from the hand grip and replacing it with a third soft polishing pad; applying an amount of a third diamond abrasive paste to the third soft polishing pad, the third diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the second diamond abrasive paste; and manually polishing the metal trim in situ by rubbing the paint finish with the third soft polishing pad bearing the third diamond abrasive polishing paste.
 15. A method of polishing automotive paint finishes and/or metal trim on an automobile, the method comprising the steps of: applying a first diamond abrasive paste to a first polishing pad; and polishing the automotive paint finishes and/or metal trim by rubbing the metal trim or paint finish with the first polishing pad bearing the first diamond abrasive paste.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of: applying a second diamond abrasive paste to a second polishing pad, the second diamond abrasive paste having a finer grit than the first diamond abrasive paste; and polishing the paint finish and/or metal trim by rubbing the metal trim or paint finish with the second polishing pad bearing the second diamond abrasive paste. 